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CHIMEROMANCY


A TIR-NA NOG'TH POWERS TREE FOR BELTAINE.

From 'The Last Enemy'


These are my thoughts regarding the various Tir-Na Nog'th-related powers Beltaine may develop over time in 'The Last Enemy' game. I currently see it as consisting of a set of basic abilities then three 'trees' of more advanced abilities beyond that, one based on physically bringing things from the real world into and out of Tir-Na Nog'th, the second on bringing things out of Tir-Na Nog'th and into the real world, and the third on bringing spirits out of Tir-Na Nog'th and into oneself or others. The total cost of all of these powers currently stands at 130 points.


Basic Chimeromancy

Cost : 10 points

The most basic part of the Tir-Na Nog'th powers, which must be acquired before any of the other Tir-Na Nog'th powers can be gained. Precisely how they are acquired depends on the game. In 'The Last Enemy' only Beltaine is known to have them. This part of the power includes:

INTERACTION WITH TIR-NA NOG'TH GHOSTS/INVOLUNTARY GHOSTLINESS (5 points) - the person with the power can make themselves real to the ghosts of Tir-Na Nog'th, at which point they also become real to them. The person is able to actually seek out things, visions and places in Tir-Na Nog'th (the more specific or powerful the place or thing, the longer it will take to find). Note that interacting with Tir-Na Nog'th does leave one vulnerable to the ghosts there - they are as real to the initiate as the initiate is to them, and some of them are not at all nice. This caveat also applies to all of the other powers listed below which involve withdrawing or moving into Tir-Na Nog'th. Things brought into the real world from Tir-Na Nog'th fade away after a while, and certainly within a lunar month.
VISIT TIR-NA NOG'TH IN DREAMS (5 points) - the person with the power sometimes 'visits' Tir-Na Nog'th while asleep, giving them weird dreams very akin to Tir-Na Nog'th visions. This latter ability is initially uncontrolled, but can, with practise, be brought under at least partial control, again allowing the initiate to seek out things they want while asleep.

After acquiring the basic parts of Chimeromancy, the power divides into three paths which can each be bought separately:


Advanced Chimeromancy

Cost : 55 points

This part of the power involves the person with the power moving themselves and/or others partially or fully into and out of Tir-Na Nog'th, and, at the higher levels, also the ability to look or move out from Tir-Na Nog'th and into the real world.

PHASING (5 points) - the initiate can 'phase' partly into Tir-Na Nog'th, going into a desolid form made of moonlight. This only works in darkness and shadow. Direct sunlight is effectively solid when one is desolid in this fashion, and cannot be moved through. [This power would cost ten points if it was usable anywhere, all the time, but as it is quite limited it is cheaper.]
PHASE OTHERS (5 points) - the person with the power can make others desolid too, on touch. This requires a willing target or a Psyche advantage. How many people this can be done to at once depends on the initiate's Psyche; how long it can be done for depends on their Endurance.
WITHDRAWAL (10 points) - the initiate can send themselves fully into Tir-Na Nog'th, withdrawing from wherever they are. This makes them essentially invisible and intangible, but also separated from wherever they were in the real world. One can move around in Tir-Na Nog'th once there and emerge at the real-world equivalent of ones new location in Tir-Na Nog'th. However, this is slow, tiring, and limited to the same shadow one started out in. The effort to use this power is in translating oneself from the real world into Tir-Na Nog'th and back; no effort is required to remain in Tir-Na Nog'th once there.
WITHDRAW OTHERS (5 points) - as for 'Withdrawal', but the initiate can bring others with them when they go into Tir-Na Nog'th. This is limited as for 'Phase Others', above, in terms of who and how many one can bring others into Tir-Na Nog'th.
FORCED WITHDRAWAL (10 points) - with a Psyche advantage the initiate can now send others into Tir-Na Nog'th against their will, but not go there themselves. The person so sent into Tir-Na Nog'th will remain there indefinitely or until rescued, but while there is vulnerable to beings and situations in Tir-Na Nog'th as if they were real. This power would be particularly useful for disposing of people the initiate does not like very much...
SCRY FROM TIR-NA NOG'TH (10 points) - the initiate can locate the Tir-Na Nog'th equivalent of a real place in Tir-Na Nog'th and use it to scry out the equivalent place in the real world. The Tir-Na Nog'th version of the place behaves as if Tir-Na Nog'th were an astral plane from which the equivalent place in the real world may be seen.
TRAVEL IN TIR-NA NOG'TH (10 points) - the initiate can, when in Tir-Na Nog'th, locate the Tir-Na Nog'th equivalent of a place, even if in a different shadow or other far-away location and travel there at speed. Upon arrival they can then step out of the Tir-Na Nog'th world and into the real location.

Summoning

Cost : 40 points

This part of the power is the summoning of things - items, creatures, or spirits - out of Tir-Na Nog'th and into the real world. The 'summoning' of spirits is something that summons a ghost out of Tir-Na Nog'th and gives it temporary reality - one could then question it, or even (at more advanced stages) give it a task. It's the next step up from summoning objects from Tir-Na Nog'th. It does not involve being possessed.

SUMMON MUNDANE ITEM (5 points) - the initiate can summon normal, mundane items from dreams and moonlight. The more specific the item, the longer it takes to summon. The item will fade away after a little while, and certainly by time a full lunar month has passed, and cannot travel into or pass through areas of direct sunlight.
SUMMON GHOST OR CREATURE (5 points) - the initiate can physically summon a Tir-Na Nog'th Ghost or other Tir-Na Nog'th creature into the real world to be questioned or to perform actions for the initiate (intelligent creatures may need persuading to do this!). As with mundane items they fade away after a while and cannot pass through direct sunlight. The more powerful the ghost or creature is and the more specific a ghost one wants then the longer they take to summon.
SUMMON TIR-NA NOG'TH ENVIRONMENT (10 points) - the initiate can summon a 'bubble' of Tir-Na Nog'th, either with themselves inside it, or around others into the real world. This bubble is impenetrable to outside forces, who can only watch what is going on through its walls. The size of the bubble which can be summoned depends on the Psyche of the initiate, but it will be largely self-sustaining once it is present. This is what happened in the Amber throne room when Benedict lost his metal arm.
Quite useful for walling up those one does not wish to have wandering about freely, but otherwise I'm not too sure how much use this would actually be. However, I do feel it is part of this sequence of powers.
SUMMON INTO DREAMS (10 points) - the person with this power can now summon things from out of Tir-Na Nog'th and send them into the dreams of others. These things (scenes, people or creatures) can then affect them, either psychologically or physically, causing, if desired, real damage to their victims. The more powerful or longer-lasting the thing summoned is, and the more specific it is, then the longer it takes to summon. The maximum power of a summoned thing depends on the Psyche of the initiate if they wish to retain control of it; if they do not then this is not an issue...
SUMMON EMPOWERED ITEM (10 points) - the initiate can summon a creature or item from dreams and moonlight which incorporates real Qualities and Powers. The maximum level of power in the things which can be summoned and how long it takes to do so depends on the Psyche of the initiate and how specific an item is wanted (though Endurance will also have an effect if it takes a long time).
An example of this sort of item is Benedict's metal arm.
As with summoned mundane items, Empowered items mostly fade away after a little while, and certainly by time a full lunar month has passed, and cannot travel into or pass through areas of direct sunlight; it is also possible for items of this kind to disappear in a strange Tir-Na Nog'th-related manner, as Benedict's metal arm did (precisely what happens depends on the Stuff of whoever the things belongs to). The only exception to this, and the only way a summoned item will become permanent, is if they are made fully Real in some way (for example, points are paid for them).

Channelling Spirits

Cost : 25 points

This part of the power is the opening of oneself (and others) to being possessed by non-physical spirits from Tir-Na Nog'th in a manner very similar to someone being 'ridden' by a voodoo 'loa'.

OPEN DOOR (0 points) - the initiate has a 'door in their mind' and the ability to be 'ridden' by spirits from Tir-Na Nog'th; they are open to the 'world of ghosts' and may be possessed unexpectedly. The frequency and type of spirits by which one is possessed depends upon the Stuff of the character. How much one remembers of the time one is possessed, and whether one can force the spirit out of oneself if one desires to do so, depends on the relative Psyches of possessed and possessor; this also applies to the abilities below.
This ability is the pre-requisite for this branch of skill. It costs nothing as it is not under player control and is a literal as well as metaphysical hole in the head (it is also occasional fun for the GM!).
INVITE SPIRIT IN (5 points) - the initiate can open the 'door in their head' and invite a spirit in. If done quickly they will not know who or what they are going to get (though it's likely to be something relevant to the situation at hand). This is what happened when Beltaine let in Oberon. With time and care the initiate can, however, invite in a specific ghost to possess them, which is likely to be rather more useful.
POSSESS ANOTHER (10 points) - the initiate can invite a specific Tir-Na Nog'th Ghost to possess another, who can either be willing, or have the ghost forced upon them. The relative Psyche of the person with the power determines whether the ghost can be forced in, but the relative Psyche of the ghost determines how long it can remain in possession. Once it is inside the host the ghost is in control as it would be for the initiate themselves, and the host may or may not remember much of the experience afterwards...
OPEN DOOR IN ANOTHER (10 points) - the initiate can open a 'door' to the spirits of Tir-Na Nog'th in the mind of another, allowing them to 'enjoy' all the advantages of this power.

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